Track-brush holder



(No Model.)

' W. E. SHEPARD.

TRAGK BRUSH HOLDER.

No. 565,144. Patented Aug. 4', 1896.

Fig.1.

' WITNESSES: INVENTOH ATTORNEY.

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I UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

IL-LIAM E. SHEPARD, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK.

TRACK-BRUSH HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,144, dated August4, 1896.

Application filed January 9, 1896. Serial No. 574,831. (No model.)

To a. whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Long Island City, Queens county, New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Track-Brush Holders, of whichthe following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to the mechanical construction of means for cleaningthe track of an electric-railway system from snow or dust or othermaterial, so that the current may pass with the least possibleresistance from the wheels to the rails.

The invention relates more particularly to the elements for supporting abrush and regulating its distance from the rails. Ileretofore thosedevices for a similar purpose which have been in use have the seriousobjection of requiring much time and labor for their adjustment. Mydevice is of such a nature that it may be adjusted very quickly, and yetthe construction is much simpler than the old form.

In order that the device maybe understood in all its details, theaccompanying drawings are annexed.

Figure 1 is a view, looking in the direction of a rail, of the wholedevice in elevation, showing also a part of the guard usually found in astreet-car and employed in my instrument for the support of the Wholedevice. Fig. 2 is a view, taken at right angles to that which is shownin Fig. 1, of a vertical section of the complete device, together with asection of a part of the guard. Some of the parts are not shown insection, and the brush in both instances is merely represented by somegroups of three parallel lines to indicate in a typical way that it isany suitable kind of a brush, Fig. 3 is a section of that portion of thedevice in Fig. 2 taken at line X. It is merely intended to represent theshape of the cross-section. Fig. 4. shows a side view of the rail of atrack to indicate about the proportional distance of the brush above thesame when the brush is in its highest position.

A represents the guard usually found in street-cars. Connected to thisby means of bolts B is an arm 0, having a bearing D, in which is adaptedto slide a tube E up and dorm in a vertical direction. The upper end ofthe tube E has a projecting rim F, and between the bearing 1) and thisprojecting rim Fis a helical spring G. The said spring is coiled aroundthe tube E, but is loose thereon, and normally acts to overcome theforce of gravity or the weight of the tube E and the brush H. Thespring, therefore, acts in such a way that with a slight force in eitherdirection of the hand upon the brush the latter can be raised orlowered.

The tube E is provided with a series of holes Land the bearing D is alsoprovided with a hole for receiving a given split pin J, carried on achain K, whose one end is attached to some part of the bearing D.

Having described the detailed construction of the device, its operationmay now be studied.

In Fig. 2 the brush is shown in its highest position, where it wouldusually be when there is no trouble because of snow or dirt on thetrack, but as soon as it begins to snow the pin J should be removed andthe tube E be pushed down until the pin can be inserted in one of theholes I. hen the brush is new, it will touch the track with about theright pressure when the said pin is placed in the lowest hole I. One ofthe great troubles in connection with traclccleaners of this class isthat the brush wears out or becomes shortened. I provide for overcomingthis diflic-ulty by my construction, for when the brush becomes shorterby wear it is only necessary to remove the pin J, to push the tube downfarther, and to insert the pin through the hole in the bearing D andthrough one of the upper holes I, so that by this construe tion thewearing of the brush may be compensated for.

In the drawings, L represents the rail of the railway-track.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with the truck of a carrigidly held at a fixed position from the rail of a railway'track, of abearing connected to the truck, a brush whose handle has holes andpasses through said bearing, a spring normally retaining the brush at adistance above the track, and a pin passing through the bearing andthrough said holes, for bold ing the brush with a predetermined pressureagainst the rail.

2. The combination with the guard of a street-oar, of an arm 0, securedthereto and provided with a bearing D, located directly over the rail ofthe track, a tube E, having a rim F, at its upper end, and a brush atits lower end, and pasing through said bearing, D, a helical spring G,surrounding the tube,

having one end resting against the bearing,

and the other end against the said rim, the tube being provided with ahole near its lower end, and a series of holes near its upper end,

and a pin carried by the bearing and adapted to pass therethrough, andthrough one of said holes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presenoe of two Wi tnesses, this 4th day of January,

WILLIAM E. SHEPARD. [L. s] Witnesses M. H. DUMoNr, ARLEY I. MUNsoN.

